


New Protocols

by Millie3000



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Peter Parker, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, First Meetings, Flirting, Gay Peter Parker, Getting Together, Happy Time Tower AU, Harley Keener is a huge flirt, M/M, Peter has daddy issues, Peter is a mess, Pre-Slash, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony is done with these two, it doesn’t really specify, very brief - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-10 02:30:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20520482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Millie3000/pseuds/Millie3000
Summary: Peter Parker was nervous.Like reallyreallyincredibly nervous. Like, upset stomach, pacing the room, haven’t eaten all day nervous.And why, you may ask, was Peter so nervous that he would be genuinely concerned about bringing up his lunch had he been able to eat in the first place?Well, it was because Mr. Stark was currently on his way back from the airport picking up Peter’s replacement.-Or the time Mr. Stark introduced Peter Parker to Harley Keener, Peter had an anxiety attack, and Harley was a huge flirt.





	New Protocols

Peter Parker was nervous. 

Like really _ really _ incredibly nervous. Like, upset stomach, pacing the room, haven’t eaten all day nervous. The kind of nervousness that sits at the forefront of your mind, not letting you enjoy or focus on anything else for the rest of the day. The kind of nervousness that had Peter returning from patrol early because he couldn’t focus enough to help anyone else out anyway. The kind of nervousness that left him bouncing from place to place throughout Mr. Stark’s personal floor. He would sit for a second, leg shaking and hands clenching and unclenching, before jumping up and pacing for another minute and repeating the whole process. __

Peter Parker was nervous, and okay, maybe possibly,_ freaking the fuck out. ___

And why, you may ask, was Peter so nervous that he would be genuinely concerned about bringing up his lunch had he been able to eat in the first place?

Well, it was because Mr. Stark was currently on his way back from the airport picking up Peter’s replacement. 

Which, admittedly, wasn’t exactly true. Not _ strictly speaking _ at least. __

But it didn’t matter, because it was another boy, another _ intelligent _ boy around Peter’s age, who Mr. Stark apparently had some kind of _ “emotional connection” _ with. Something about being stranded in Tennessee, and people spontaneously combusting, and the two of them holding hands singing kumbaya. ____

But that was all before Peter, and really he couldn’t have given a rats ass about the little smart ass kid who had asked invasive questions and triggered Mr. Stark’s PTSD. (And okay, _ maybe _ there was something about saving his life in there somewhere.) But now Mr. Stark was bringing the asshole _ here, _ to stay at the Tower for a week and share _ Peter’s _ room, over Christmas break when Peter was supposed to be spending quality time with his mentor. ______

Tony was all too excited about Peter meeting the boy, Harven or Harold or something stupid like that. But Peter couldn’t understand why he had to come back around at all, it had been _ years _ and seriously, was Peter the only one who remembered the PTSD thing? Hubert had practically tried to _ kill _ Mr. Stark! ____

The boy couldn’t help but feel that when Harvey came sauntering back into Mr. Stark’s life, Peter would be pushed to the side. The billionaire had to have been getting tired of Parker’s constant annoying, immature, neediness, and he obviously thought that Honduras was just the best thing since sliced bread. Mr. Stark had been going on and on about him since they made the plans for him to come stay about a week ago. Even lab time, which Peter cherished so much, left a bitter taste in his mouth from listening to Mr. Stark absolutely gush about how much he would like the boy. Obviously, Peter was old news. 

And why wouldn’t he be? Obviously Harry was pretty fucking special, and Peter was just the charity case that should be grateful that he got to be in Mr. Stark’s presence for even a second. 

He wondered how long it would take for Henry to completely take over Peter’s room? Or his little cubby in the lab? How much time would pass before it was Hector’s book bag discarded in the kitchen and socks lost under the couch? 

Peter was about to start spiraling again when JARVIS’ voice rang out through the room. 

“Sir and Mr. Keener have just arrived at the tower. They will reach Sir’s personal floor in about two minutes”. 

The boy froze in place, hovering just a few feet off the couch. His pulse skyrocketed and his palms were uncomfortably clammy. 

That- that was very soon. 

Peter’s eyes scanned the room, making sure everything was in place and just as Mr. Stark has left it. The next two minutes would be the slowest of his life, and the boy needed to find something to busy his hands before he _ exploded. ___

He was in the middle of rearranging the throw pillows on the couch for the third time when the elevator doors chimed to signal their arrival. Peter thought he might actually go into cardiac arrest. 

“Underoos, we’re home!” Mr. Stark called out in a sing-song voice. 

And _ oh, god. _ Was it possible to throw up when there’s nothing _ to _ throw up? The two sets of footsteps were rapidly approaching and Peter was standing at the end of the couch gaping like an idiot, stuck in some strange suspended animation where his body couldn’t decide between freezing in fear and bouncing with nerves. ____

Maybe it was some kind of defense mechanism, but suddenly the only thought running through the boy’s mind was how difficult it was to appear natural and relaxed when you were consciously thinking about doing so. 

“Peter? You in here?” And suddenly Mr. Stark appeared in the doorway, making his way into the room. The other boy hadn’t quite made it into view yet, but Peter could hear him making his way just a few paces behind. 

Mr. Stark caught Peter’s eyes with his own bright, excited ones. The boy tried not to let the eye contact give away just how worked up he was over the whole situation, but apparently he was much worse at acting than he had anticipated. Mr. Stark’s expression suddenly went through a million different emotions, confusion, then recognition and disbelief, then his eyes went soft and concerned as his eyes asked the silent question. _ Hey kid, you okay? ___

Peter’s instinct of course, was to put on a brave face and pretend that everything was business as usual. Despite his insecurities about the whole situation, Mr. Stark really did want this to be a positive experience, and who was Peter to ruin that for him? He hadn’t shut up about this kid for a week, and wasn’t it kind of selfish for Peter to let his own Daddy Issues take what was supposed to be a fun, exciting thing that Mr. Stark had worked his ass off to arrange and make it into the Peter show? 

And maybe, if this whole ordeal had happened just a few months ago, that’s exactly what Peter would do. He would steel his gaze, flash Mr. Stark a smile, shake the damn kid’s hand, and that evening when everything was said and done, he would retreat to some quiet corner of the tower and have a little anxiety attack where no one could see or feel bad for him. 

But it _ wasn’t _ happening a few months ago, and as it was now, Peter had reached a place where knew he could trust Mr. Stark. It was like he had recently let out a breath that he had been holding ever since this whole Internship thing started. He let himself relax around the man. When he arrived after school he kicked his feet up on the workbench and talked animatedly about Ned and MJ. Mr. Stark would push his legs down while Peter cracked bad jokes and laughed when they earned a fond eye roll. He went upstairs and grabbed a glass of water instead of working up the nerve to ask for one for twenty minutes. He made Mr. Stark watch one of the Star Wars movies at least once a week, and sometimes, if it got really late, the boy would even let his head fall to the man’s shoulder as he slipped in and out of consciousness. __

Peter had a bit of a track record with Father figures. So when the very professional Stark Internship turned out to be not so professional and not much of an Internship, Peter had promised himself that Mr. Stark would remain his somewhat aloof but encouraging mentor and nothing more. 

But it was hard to keep emotional distance from the man, because the very reason that he didn’t want to get attached was also the reason why he craved Mr. Stark’s attention and approval with every fiber of his being. 

So he started slipping. A hug instead of a handshake, a little too much information about his day at school, a movie night instead of a lab night, and before Peter knew it Mr. Stark was holding him close to his chest in the middle of the night after he woke up from a nightmare in the room that had somewhere along the way become his own. 

But Peter had already lost not one but two father figures. Even though he had promised himself that he wouldn’t get attached, he had started catching himself almost calling the man _ ‘Dad’ _ and goddamn it, it scared the shit out of him.__

Now, as Peter studied Mr. Stark’s concerned gaze, he couldn’t hold back the anxiety that Harrison was going to take a third one away from him. All he wanted in that moment was for the man to send the other boy away and hold Peter close. He wanted the reassurance that he wasn’t going to leave him too, that he wasn’t tired of the boy and ready to move onto the next excitement. 

It was that feeling in his chest that he held onto. He didn’t steel his gaze or look away to hide what was going on in his mind, he met Mr. Stark’s eyes. 

_ Kid, seriously, are you alright?___

_ No. ___

Mr. Stark glanced back over his shoulders in the direction of the other boy. When he turned back he had regained his previous excited expression, but Peter noted that there was something off about it. Suddenly the man was moving from where he had previously stopped by the doorway, and made his way over to the tense boy. Strong arms wrapped around the boy’s torso, and Peter couldn’t help but squeeze back with all the emotions he was feeling. 

_ There’s nothing to be anxious about, I got you. ___

Peter took a shaky inhale of the comforting scent of Mr. Stark, and slowly pulled away as he heard the footsteps of the other boy finally stop just inside the doorway. Mr. Stark turned to face him, but kept a hand securely on Peter’s shoulder. 

“Harley Keener, I would like you to meet my number two, the one and only Peter Parker. New York’s finest young mind.” And yeah, that was definitely a little over the top, but well, Peter couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Mr. Stark gave Peter a subtle, but fond smile, and the boy finally turned to let his gaze rest on Harley Keener for the first time. 

When he did, Peter felt as if all of his breath had been sucked out of his lungs. He froze once again for an entirely different reason. Because Peter had been working himself into an anxiety attack all morning, he went over and over all the different ways the boy would steal Mr. Stark away from him and leave him in the dust. But in all his worrying he never accounted for this. 

Harley Keener was by far, the most _ stunningly attractive _ boy he had ever laid eyes on. __

Suddenly all the anxiety was flooding back in. Peter’s palms became clammy and he was positive his cheeks were flushed, and oh god this was double bad, because he had ever even told Mr. Stark he liked guys. Fuck.

He knew that this was where he was supposed to say _ nice to meet you _ or at the very least a _ hello _, he was supposed to smile kindly and shake the other boy’s hand. But Peter knew that if he attempted any kind of movement his voice would go stutter-y and horse, and he would definitely trip over his own feet. ____

Harley, apparently, was not nearly as ineloquently.

The boy let his eyes trail up and down Peter, like a lion eyeing up it’s prey. There was no subtlety to the way Harley let his gaze linger. “Well I certainly see why Tony never shuts up about you.” 

Peter tried to give a coherent response, he really did, but it was hard to give his full attention to a clever, suave, flirty line when his gut was currently experimenting with different ways to twist into a pretzel. It should be _ illegal _ to look that good, it was seriously a safety hazard. The boy managed a weak, “P-pleasure.” And yeah, Peter would definitely be setting himself on fire after this. __

Harley, however, did not seem put off by Peter’s complete lack of urbane. Instead, he quipped back with, “Oh believe me, the pleasure is all mine.” And seriously, it was good that Peter was finding out right off the bat what a _ sadist _ Harley Keener was, as he slowly bit down on his bottom lip, and yep, that is definitely what cardiac arrest feels like. __

Peter was at a loss for words, because, well, duh. The most gorgeous boy he had ever met in his _ life, _ was blatantly flirting with him. Despite his ineloquence and gawkiness, Harley was still gazing at Peter like he was an oasis in the middle of a desert. Really, how was Peter supposed to just, _ respond _ to that? ____

Mr. Stark’s voice however, had not escaped him. 

“I’m sorry- what is happening here?” he interjected incredulously. His hand had slipped from Peter’s shoulder as he stepped back to let his eyes dart between the two. 

Harley tore his gaze away from Peter to land on Mr. Stark. “I gotta say, Tony, I’m a little offended. You told me Peter was something special, but you never told me that he was practically sex on legs. I would have worn my nice jeans.” He smirked at the man as Tony’s jaw dropped. And Peter couldn’t help the bright crimson blush that creeped up his neck at the comment. He couldn’t imagine _ ever _ saying something like that to Mr. Stark. On the other hand, it certainly reminded Peter of a quip that the man himself would make, it wasn’t so hard to see why Mr. Stark liked the boy so much. __

“Did you just- what do you- god I’m too old for this.” Mr. Stark sighed, “And I was worried you two wouldn’t get along.” 

Harley ignored the man as he brushed a loose strand of his dark hair out of his face. The majority of it was pulled up into a messy bun, but a few pieces had slipped out here and there. Peter was bombarded with thoughts of how bad he wanted to grab a fist full of that hair and tug, preferably while Harley backed him up against a wall and showed Peter just how long that silver tongue was. 

Jesus Christ. Bad Peter! Mr. Stark is _ right there. ___

The man had turned away from the two boys, not interested in watching them mentally undress each other. “And here I thought I was getting together two brilliant minds who were going to redefine science and engineering as we know it.” He muttered to himself, hands working on something on the counter, “Turns out they’ll be too busy experimenting with the fastest way to get a hoodie off.” 

Neither of the two was paying him any attention though, as Harley took a step towards the other boy. “You know, New York is a pretty big city, and Tony has been pretty excited about the idea of you showing me some of the best parts.” 

“Oh god yes.” Peter breathed out. He would have been embarrassed about how needy he sounded if he hadn’t been so concentrated on not bending over where he stood. They needed to leave the penthouse _ right now. _

“Damn it Peter I’m going to have to make new protocols. Jarvis, alert me if there is less than six inches between _ every part _ of Harley and Pete.” Mr. Stark called out. __

“Of course Sir.” 

And yeah, that got Peter's attention. His gaze snapped over to the man who was eyeing the two teenagers trepidatiously. “_ Mr. Stark! _”__

“You’re right, Jarvis, make it a foot.” 

Harley Keener however, just laughed as he finally made his way across the room and took Peter’s hand in his own. “Come on Peter, why don’t you show me around.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
This pairing is very interesting and fun to write in the sense that you don’t really interact with a grown up Harley in canon, so you write what you think he would be like based off of how he was as a child. However you have a lot of freedom with how you write his character. But for that same reason it’s also kind of an intimidating pair to tackle.  
I’d say keep an eye out for more stuff from me, but I said that on the last work I posted and that was months ago, lmao. I have about seven thousand ideas and all of them are half finished, and will most likely stay that way. But we’ll see. 😂  
If you see any mistakes feel free to let me know. I appreciate your feedback so much!


End file.
